1. Prior Art
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
U.S. PatentsPat. No.Kind CodeIssue DatePatentee6,595,162B1Jul. 22, 2003Hibbert6,564,753B1May 20, 2003Heileg et al.6,240,882B1Jun. 5, 2001Gross5,341,765Aug. 30, 1994McComb5,137,508Aug. 11, 1992Engman5,076,043Dec. 31, 1991Butler4,744,333May 17, 1998Taylor
2. Field of the Invention
The patent invented generally relates to a body-carried protective shield for protecting areas of an animal's forelegs.
Domestic animals, such as canines, often develop skin allergies which lead to excessive licking, biting and scratching causing localized injures to the animal. The behaviors are more evident in the forelegs of the animal and can be exacerbated, by an increase in the stress level of the animal, wherein the aforementioned can lead to raw skin and open wounds. The injuries may require professional veterinary attention resulting in the prescription of topical ointments or dressing bandages. The healing of the injury and/or odor of the topical ointment can result in the animal licking the affected regions.
The invention was created out of necessity for a particular case. The case was a mixed breed canine which developed an allergy to certain food proteins at an early age. These allergies were manifested in the licking and biting of the animals forelegs. The application of the protective shield resulted in an unexpected result, the animal ceased to lick the affected region allowing the wound to heal.